Going, the travel app known for surfacing deeply discounted airfare and mistake fares, has appointed travel technology executive David Krauter as its new Chief Executive Officer and a member of the company’s board of directors. The leadership transition took effect March 9, 2026, with Krauter succeeding Brian Kidwell, who has led the company since 2019 and will remain on the board alongside co-founder Scott Keyes. The appointment signals a strategic shift as Going moves from its bootstrapped startup roots toward a more structured growth phase in the competitive travel technology sector.
The company indicated that Krauter brings significant experience scaling consumer travel businesses, particularly from his tenure at Tripadvisor where he led SmarterTravel and its portfolio of travel brands.
Why is Going bringing in a travel industry veteran to lead its next phase of growth?
Going’s decision to appoint David Krauter reflects a common milestone in the life cycle of successful digital platforms. Founder-led startups often reach a stage where operational scaling, global expansion, and product diversification require leadership with experience running larger consumer businesses.
The travel deals platform has grown steadily since its founding in 2015, when Scott Keyes initially launched the service after discovering a deeply discounted international flight and sharing the tip with friends. What began as a small email list evolved into a subscription-based platform that now serves roughly two million members worldwide.
In comments about the transition, Scott Keyes explained that the company had never originally been intended as a formal startup. He noted that the original motivation was simply to make travel more affordable, but over time the platform had grown into a significant business helping travelers identify discounted flights.
Brian Kidwell also reflected on the company’s journey, stating that Going had evolved from a side project into a profitable enterprise through a decade of bootstrapped development. He indicated that bringing in an experienced executive would help guide the company’s next stage of expansion.
The leadership shift therefore appears less like a replacement and more like a planned evolution. The founders remain board members and controlling shareholders, suggesting continuity in strategy even as operational leadership changes hands.
What experience does David Krauter bring from Tripadvisor and other travel platforms?
David Krauter’s career has been closely tied to the digital travel ecosystem. During more than a decade at Tripadvisor, he served on the executive team and led SmarterTravel, a subsidiary that included several well-known travel brands.
SmarterTravel’s portfolio included Cruise Critic, Jetsetter, and AirfareWatchdog, each targeting different segments of the online travel market. Under Krauter’s leadership, the business reportedly achieved significant revenue growth and strengthened its position within Tripadvisor’s broader travel platform ecosystem.
After leaving Tripadvisor in 2017, Krauter went on to lead two additional consumer businesses. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Invaluable, an online marketplace for fine art and collectibles auctions, and later as CEO of Yaymaker, an experiential entertainment company.
This background combines experience in subscription products, consumer marketplaces, and digital engagement platforms. Those skill sets align closely with Going’s business model, which blends algorithmic fare discovery with curated human verification.
Krauter indicated that he had been following Going’s development for some time and had been impressed by the company’s product and its focus on helping travelers save money.
How has Going built a business around flight deals rather than airline commissions?
One of the most distinctive elements of Going’s business model is how it generates revenue. Unlike many travel services that rely on affiliate commissions from airlines or booking platforms, Going operates primarily on a subscription model.
Members pay for access to curated alerts that highlight unusually low airfare, including flash sales, mistake fares, and limited-time promotions. According to the company, its system combines proprietary software that scans for deals with a team of human flight experts who manually verify each alert.
This hybrid approach attempts to solve a key problem in the airfare deal market. Fully automated alerts can produce large numbers of notifications, many of which may not represent genuinely valuable deals. Human review adds a layer of quality control that Going claims helps ensure alerts are worth travelers’ time.
Since its launch, the company estimates that its members have collectively saved more than $1 billion on flights. While such figures are difficult to independently verify, the scale of the claim illustrates how central the value proposition of cost savings is to Going’s brand identity.
For travelers, the appeal is straightforward: access to deeply discounted flights without having to manually track airline pricing across dozens of booking platforms.
Why the subscription model may matter more as airfare pricing becomes more dynamic
Airline pricing has become increasingly dynamic over the past decade. Carriers now rely on advanced revenue management systems that constantly adjust fares based on demand, booking behavior, seasonality, and competitor pricing.
This dynamic environment creates opportunities for unusual pricing events, including algorithmic errors or aggressive promotional campaigns. Such anomalies can produce fares that are dramatically cheaper than typical ticket prices.
Services like Going attempt to capture these moments by monitoring pricing patterns across global routes. Subscribers then receive alerts when deals appear that meet specific thresholds of value.
As airfare volatility increases, the value of curated deal alerts may grow. Travelers who rely on traditional search tools often miss these fleeting opportunities, as mistake fares can disappear within hours.
Krauter’s experience in travel marketplaces could therefore help Going refine its pricing intelligence and potentially integrate additional travel planning tools.
How the leadership transition fits broader trends in travel technology startups
The appointment of an external chief executive also reflects a broader pattern across successful travel technology startups. Companies that began as niche digital tools often evolve into broader travel platforms once their user base reaches scale.
This transition typically involves expanding beyond a single feature into a wider ecosystem of services. In the case of Going, potential opportunities could include personalized travel recommendations, booking integrations, or destination-focused planning tools.
The travel technology market has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Major players include traditional online travel agencies such as Expedia and Booking Holdings, as well as newer platforms that emphasize mobile-first discovery and price tracking.
Within that landscape, Going occupies a specialized niche focused on airfare deals rather than full booking services. The company’s ability to maintain this niche while expanding its revenue base will likely shape its strategic trajectory under Krauter’s leadership.
What happens next for Going as it enters a new growth chapter?
The company has not announced major product changes alongside the CEO transition, but the move itself suggests a shift toward structured scaling.
Founders often step back from day-to-day management when a business reaches a stage where operational complexity increases. Hiring a leader with experience managing larger teams and platforms can help the company navigate international expansion, new product launches, or potential partnerships.
At the same time, retaining Scott Keyes and Brian Kidwell as board members preserves the original mission that defined the brand. Their continued presence ensures that Going’s core identity, helping travelers find affordable flights, remains central to its strategy.
For the broader travel industry, the appointment underscores how digital travel platforms continue to evolve. As travelers increasingly rely on technology to navigate complex airfare pricing, platforms that combine data analysis with curated insights may play a larger role in how trips are planned.
Going’s next chapter will therefore hinge on whether it can maintain the simplicity of its original product while expanding into a more comprehensive travel discovery platform.
Key takeaways on what David Krauter’s appointment means for Going and the travel technology market
- Going has appointed David Krauter as Chief Executive Officer effective March 9, 2026, marking a transition from founder-led leadership to experienced executive management.
- Krauter previously served as a senior executive at Tripadvisor and led SmarterTravel, giving him deep experience in digital travel platforms.
- Founders Scott Keyes and Brian Kidwell will remain involved as board members and controlling shareholders, maintaining continuity in strategic direction.
- Going has built its business primarily on subscription revenue rather than airline commissions, aligning its incentives with travelers seeking discounted fares.
- The platform combines automated fare-scanning software with human review, a hybrid approach intended to filter high-value airfare deals.
- The company claims its members have saved more than $1 billion on flights since the service launched in 2015.
- Krauter’s experience in scaling consumer marketplaces could help Going expand beyond its current deal-alert model.
- Leadership transitions like this often signal a shift from startup growth to structured scaling in the travel technology sector.
- Competition from large online travel agencies and price-tracking platforms will shape Going’s next strategic decisions.
- The company’s long-term success may depend on whether it can expand its product ecosystem while maintaining the simplicity that made its airfare alerts popular.
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